1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide fastener and more particularly to a separable type of slide fastener having a separable terminal assembly.
2. Prior Art
There have been proposed a number of separable slide fasteners with a separable terminal assembly which is located at a lower end of a pair of rows of filamentary coiled or zigzag coupling elements of thermoplastic synthetic resin sewn to a pair of stringer tapes, respectively, along inner longitudinal edges thereof with a reinforcing core thread extending through each of the coupling element rows. The terminal assembly comprises a box and a box pin extending therefrom, which are mounted on one of the stringer tapes at a lower end thereof, and a separable pin mounted on the other stringer tape at a lower end thereof and engageable with the box, each pin having a pair of spaced upper and lower plates. For mounting the terminal assembly, connecting portions of the lowermost coupling elements are fused to the respective stringer tapes. Then, the box pin and the separable pin are placed on the lower ends of the tapes astride the respective inner longitudinal edges and extensions of the reinforcing core threads and sewing stitches are laid over the lower ends of the tapes. Thereafter, the box and box pin and the separable pin are secured, by a clinching tool, to the respective lower ends of the tapes with the top edges of the pins held in abutting engagement with legs of the lowermost coupling elements. Since the upper and lower plates of each pin have the same length, they, as secured to the tape ends, are arranged in superposed relation to one of the fused lowermost connecting portions. With this arrangement, stresses are created as the upper and lower plates are pressed toward one another, which stresses tend to squeeze the core threads, sewing stitches and the tape ends out from the pins, with the result that the lowermost coupling elements are displaced in a direction away from the fused connecting portions toward adjacent ones of the coupling elements. The displaced lowermost coupling elements hinder smooth movement of the slider, when a slider moves toward and away from the separable terminal assembly to open and close the fastener. In some instances, the slider is blocked at a position just before the separable terminal assembly. The starting movement of the slider in the fastener closing direction is also liable to become sluggish, sometimes even impossible.